Fire escape



1N@ Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet lv J. L. MOTT, Jr.

FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 299,833. Patented June 3, 1884.

www@ f m de (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. L. MO'IT, J1.

PIRE ESCAPE. No. 299,833. Patented June 3, 1834.

mm a@ f MmWHmmwmwmwmmwww@ JORDAN L. Morr, JR.,

Fries.

OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

FIRE-fESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part'. of Letters Patent No. 299,833, dated June 3, 1884.

implication filed April 5, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itlknopwn that I, JORDAN L. Morr, J r., of the city and State of New York, have iuvented an Improvement in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a correct description.

Ladders have been placed upon the exterior of buildings, such ladders being closed when not in use by one side being raised and the other lowered. v

My improvement is made for allowing the ire-escape ladder to be opened from either of the upper iloors of the building, and for keeping it closed, so that it is not liable to be opened from the outside of the building, and hence cannot be used by burglars, and the case holding the ladder can be ornamental, instead of disfiguring the building, as now usual, by unsightly ladders.

In the drawings, Figure l is ya general View of the ladder at the front of the building, the wallbeing in section. Fig. 2 shows the lever and raclebar in larger size. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan with the ladder folded. Fig. 4t is a sectional plan with the ladder open, and Fig. 5 is a partial elevation with the front plate removed. t

The plate Ais of a more or less ornamental character. It extends vertically at a distance from the wall B of the buildingsay four or five inches-and itis supported in any suitable manner, preferably by bolts c, projecting from the building, and provided with nuts at their outer ends to confine the plate to the shoulders upon the bolts. The ladder is made to close in behind this plate A, or to open at one or both sides thereof. 'Iheladder is made of the arms or rungs F, pivoted at g to the back of the plate A, and connected by bolts or rivets t' at their outer ends to the vertical tie rod or bar k. The inner end of each rung is made with an arm, f, that is slotted longi` tudinally near its end.

The rack-bar L is guided in` suitable projections or slides, Z, at theback of the plateA. They may be tubular castings through which the bolts c pass, if desired, and upon this rackbar L there are pins or studs o, vpassing into the slots in the arns f. There may be two ladders, one at each side of the 1aekbar, as shown. It will now be understood that when movement the ladders are swung down from the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5 to the positions shown in full lines, the rungs assuming horizontal positions, and the pins or studs o reaching the ends of the slotted arms f, so as to retain the ladder-rungs and prevent them swinging below a horizontal position. The ladders are'now ready for use, and it is to be understood that they should be placed between the windows, so that they can be reached from either window and used for de scending or ascending. The rungs of the ladder are sufliciently distant from'the surface of the building to give ample room for the feet. Vhen the ladders are open for use, the leverage of the rungs will be sufficient to pre-vent the weight of the raelebar, as it hangs upon the inner ends, closing the ladders; but as the said rack-bar is moved endwise and downwardly the ladders are closed, and their weight no longer tends to lift the rack-bar; hence the ladders are not easily opened from outside the building,beeause of the weight of the rack.- bar. I however provide a lever, I), with a segmental rack at the end next to the teeth q upon the rack-bar, and I pivot the same at r and introduce such lever into recess in the wall of the building, there being a hole in the wall for the segmental rack to pass through; and it is best to place one of these levers and racks at each floor of the building, and to suitably incase the opening in the wall, so that the lever will be out of the way; but in case 'of necessity the fire-escape ladders are instantly spread for use by moving either one of such levers from within the building and lifting the rack-bar L endwise, so as to throw out the ladder-arms and cause them to fall into position for use.

At each edge of the front plate, A, there is a narrow folding shutter, t, hinged to the said front plate and drawn inwardly to place, as seen in Fig. 3, by a spring, so as to close in and protect theladders from atmospheric influences. These shutter-strips, however, are pushed open automatically bythe ladders as they are spread.

I claim as my invention l. The combination, with the stationary the rack -bar receives an upward endwise IOO 3. rlhe combination, With the plate A, of the shutter-strips t, hinged to such plate, the 15 pivoted arms forming the ladder, the rack-bar and supports for the same, and the levers for giving' end motion t0 such rack-bars, said 1evers acting in openings provided in the Wall of the building, substantially as set forth. 2o

Signed by me this 1st day of April, A. D.

JORDAN L. MOTT, JR. Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINOKNEY, WILLIAM G. MOTT. 

